1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electric appliances and, more particularly, to a tortilla toaster-like warmer appliance which includes a push-down, pop-up, arc-shaped cradle assembly and at least one collapsible tortilla cage.
2. General Background
Toasters for bread and other pastries have been well established and are generally standardized in their ability to accept sliced bread within a industry standardized size range. Toasters have been used for heating other pastries such as waffles, pop tarts, etc. However, these pastries have size limits which can be accommodated by conventional toasters.
Examples of toasters and accessories for use therewith include: U.S. Pat. No. 4,346,651 issued W. Schickedanz, entitled xe2x80x9cTOASTER FOR BREAD AND OTHER FOOD ITEMSxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,656 issued to U.S. Philips Corporation, of New York, N.Y., on the application of K. J. Lulofs, et al., entitled xe2x80x9cTOASTER WITH POWER OUTPUT CONTROLxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 5,728,416 issued to The Proctor and Gamble Company, of Cincinnati, Ohio, on the application of J. L. Bono, et al., entitled xe2x80x9cCONTAINER FOR HEATING FROZEN FRENCH FIRES IN A TOASTERxe2x80x9d; and, U.S. Pat. No. 4,368,379 issued to Sunbeam Corporation, of Chicago, Ill., on the application of C. E. Swanson, entitled xe2x80x9cTOASTER HAVING TOASTING CONTROL FOR CONVENIENCE FOODS,xe2x80x9d all of which disclose toasters or accessories for bread and other food items. The toasters have a casing with vertical food-receiving spaces, movable food carriers within the spaces and electrical heating elements to toast or warm the food in the space.
Most conventional toasters have slots which are approximately 5xc2xd inches long and 1xc2xc inches wide. Tortillas are commercially available in various sizes. However, the typical tortillas commercially available have approximately a 6-inch diameter or a 7-inch diameter. The thin, flat but large size of the tortillas is not readily received in the slots of conventional toasters. Thus, tortillas have been heated, warmed or cooked by other cooking methods such as microwaving and pan frying.
Several devices have been patented which are directed to cooking tortillas.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,704 issued to R. Huston, entitled xe2x80x9cTORTILLA COOKING APPARATUS AND METHOD,xe2x80x9d discloses a tortilla cooking apparatus having perforated, microwave energy-transparent frame members between which a tortilla is positioned for cooking in a microwave oven.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,924 issued to C. M. DeWitt, Jr., entitled xe2x80x9cTORTILLA WARMERxe2x80x9d discloses a tortilla warmer having a housing having resistive heating elements therein for warming a plate and a ceramic vessel for holding tortillas.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,165 issued to D. C. Wallace, entitled xe2x80x9cDEVICE FOR HOLDING TORTILLA DURING THE COOKING THEREOFxe2x80x9d discloses a device for holding folded-over tortillas while immersed in oil during cooking.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,055 issued to DeMars et al., entitled xe2x80x9cTURNTABLE COOKING AND SERVING APPLIANCExe2x80x9d discloses a turntable cooking and serving appliance which includes a tortilla attachment.
As will be seen more fully below, the present invention is substantially different in structure, methodology and approach from that of the prior tortilla cooking or warming devices.
The preferred embodiment of the tortilla toaster-like warmer appliance of the present invention solves the aforementioned problems in a straight forward and simple manner.
Broadly, the present invention contemplates a tortilla warming appliance for warming one or more tortillas in a manner similar to a toaster. The tortilla warming appliance comprises a collapsible tortilla cage for each tortilla and a push-down, pop-up, arc-shaped cradle assembly slidably coupled in a respective tortilla cage. The cradle assembly has a concave center section, which defines an arc that approximates a curved perimeter edge of the tortilla. Furthermore, the width of the front and back tortilla cage wall is greater than the diameter of a commercially available tortilla.
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a tortilla toaster-like warmer appliance which warms or heats tortillas without crisping or dehydrating the tortilla so that after it is warms it may be rolled or folded.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a tortilla toaster-like warmer appliance which includes slots to a collapsible tortilla cage dimensioned to slide therethrough a flat and open tortilla.
In view of the above, a feature of the present invention is to provide a tortilla toaster-like warmer appliance which is relatively easy to use.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide a tortilla toaster-like warmer appliance which can heat or warm without significant dehydration, crisping more than one tortilla, simultaneously, in a commercial or non-commercial environment.
The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the drawings, the description given herein, and the appended claims.